The cabinet has approved in principle transport authorities' plan to require an applicant for a driver's licence to finish a training course of at least 15 hours and pay up to 6,000 baht for the lessons.

Sanit Phromwong, director-general of the Land Transport Department, said the Transport Ministry would issue a new regulation this year to require would-be drivers to pass a training course at the driving schools certified by the department before they can apply for the licences.

Previously, the required training hours were four before being raised to five on Jan 1.

"The training fee schools may charge each applicant is capped at 6,000 baht, which is not high and lower than that in many developed countries," Mr Sanit said.

Applicants can proceed to apply for the licences at 90 certified driving schools nationwide after passing the training courses there since their systems are linked electronically with the department's, Mr Sanit said.

"After the cabinet approved in principle the draft regulation, the Council of State will scrutinise it and returned the vetted version to the Transport Ministry. It will then be published in the Royal Gazette in which the effective date is set, most likely within this year," he said.

6000 bht,in line with many developed countries,that is a months wages to some,will that change peoples driving habits once they paid,done their 15 hrs,got their licence. only the law can change there habits.

The Ministry of Transport has withdrawn it's ministerial regulation that mandates applicant for driving license to attend a training session of up to 15 hours instead of just 3-4 hours as it is the case now.

Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said during the Cabinet meeting, the Minister of Transport has offered to withdraw the regulation for review.

He said the minister reasoned that the regulation, which mandates applicants to attend either a training session of up to 15 hours instead of just 3-4 hours at each of the five driving schools operated by the Land Transport Department in five provinces, or to pass both the written and driving tests organized by the private sector driving schools certified by the department, was strongly criticised.

The new ministerial regulation was intended to set a new standard of road safety and to improve the discipline of car drivers.

But for other ministerial regulations regarding road safety masures such as those dealing with drunk driving were endorsed, the spokesman said.

There are currently about 90 authorised driving schools throughout the country which offer the training course.